MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (September 8, 2011) – After a summer full of memorable on-track action, the 2011 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship will come to a dramatic conclusion on Saturday, September 10, with the highly-anticipated return to Southern California for the Traxxas Pala National in Pala. The newest venue in American Motocross, Pala Raceway will host the 12th and final round of the season, with a 450 Class Champion set to be crowned at the conclusion of a full day of competition. To celebrate the end to one of the most competitive seasons in series history, a full afternoon of live broadcast coverage will highlight the festivities, kicking off on Saturday at 4 p.m. EST, with first-moto telecasts of the 250 and 450 classes on FUEL TV, and online at AlliSports.com.
In an effort to showcase to tightly-contested 450 Class title fight between Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto and Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, a format change has been instituted for the Traxxas Pala National that will see the 250 motos run first, followed by the 450 Class title showdown. FUEL TV and SPEED have made the format switch to give the premier class the spotlight, airing the motos live, in that order, on their respective broadcasts. Just 14 points separate the sport’s two biggest stars, and their season-long battle atop the standings is sure to come down to the final lap of competition.
As a result, newly-crowned 250 Class Champion Dean Wilson will lead his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team, and the rest of the talented young field of riders, into action first, setting the tone for what is sure to be an unforgettable close to an amazing year of racing.
After the opening motos from Pala, SPEED will bring exclusive final-moto coverage of each class to the masses. Live coverage of the final 250 Class moto of the season will air at 7 p.m. EST, followed immediately by the culmination of Villopoto and Dungey’s championship battle in the 450 Class at 8 p.m. EST.
Additionally, live final moto coverage from Pala Raceway will be showcased internationally in Europe, Australia and Brazil on Motors TV, SPEED Australia and ESPN Brazil, respectively.
Prior to Saturday’s American Motocross season finale, FUEL TV will relive the excitement from last weekend’s Steel City Motocross National in Delmont, Pa., in which Dean Wilson was able to secure his first career professional title with one round remaining. The Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Highlight Show from Steel City Raceway will air tonight at 10 p.m. EST/PST. The one-hour highlight package will recap each moto from the 11th round of the 2011 championship, won by Villopoto and Wilson, respectively.
For easier access, here are FUEL TV channels from some major television providers:
DIRECTV – Channel 618
DISH Network – Channel 398
Verizon FiOS – Channel 198
AT&T U-verse – Channel 536
*Check local listings for cable operators
Festivities for Saturday’s Traxxas Pala National begin at 8:30 a.m. PST, with practice and qualifying. Opening ceremonies start at 12:30 p.m. PST.